HEADTEACHER'S MESSAGE

Dear Parents, Carers and Children,

This week we celebrated the 165th year of the founding of our school. It was on the 13th October 1851 that the Union of the Sisters of Mercy opened three classes to provide education for the needy children of the area. We are proud to see how our school has grown and progressed over the years and that the Catholic values and ethos that our school was built on, still feature strongly in everything we do and in our service to our community.

It was a pleasure and privilege to welcome visitors from the Sisters of Mercy, including Sr. Kathleen Mary who used to be headteacher, to our school on Thursday. They spent some time in classrooms and joined in a Mass led by Fr. Lorenzo, followed by lunch. A special thanks to Sister Anne Reddington for her beautiful painting commemorating this auspicious occasion. We will display it with pride and treasure it for years to come. We also look forward to more events through the year to celebrate our school's special birthday!

I also wish to extend my gratitude and thanks to the Freiter family for securing a generous donation from Waitrose and to the Ellett family for making a donation from Daunt Books, Marylebone High Street. Your generosity is very much appreciated and will be of benefit to so many children.

A reminder that next week our Parent/Teacher Evenings take place. If you have not booked your time slot, please do so as soon as possible or contact the school office to arrange an appointment. These meetings are very important as they provide the ideal opportunity for you to discuss your child's progress with their teacher.

Thank you to all parents who have filled out Free School Meal/Pupil Premium forms in exchange for a free school coat. You will be pleased to know that the coats have been ordered and Ace Clothing will deliver them as soon as they can. We will distribute them to children in classes. Any parents who still need to fill out forms are welcome to collect a copy from the school office.

Have a lovely weekend.

Best wishes,

Miss O'Connor

Headteacher

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Class Assemblies

Parents are warmly invited to attend their child's class assembly. Class assemblies are held on Thursdays at 9:00am in the top hall.

Please note the change in dates for class 12 and 10's assemblies.

20th October Class 10

3rd November Class 11

10th November Class 12

17th November Class 9

24th November Class 8

1st December Class 7

Parent/Teacher's Evenings

Please use your individual login number to book your appointment. If you are unable to access the internet please contact the school office.

October half-term

Monday 24th October to Friday 28th October. Children return to school on Monday 31st October.

Open Day for September 2017 Nursery and Reception Admissions

Monday 14th November 2016 10:00-11:00 am. Families applying for Nursery and Reception places for September 2017 are welcome to attend a school viewing and information session.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD

PRAYER

The Lord's Prayer:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

ATTENDANCE

Attendance

NOTICES AND REMINDERS

St. Edward's Celebrates 165 years!

Our school was founded on the Feast of St. Edward in 1851 by the Union of the Sisters of Mercy and so this year we celebrate our 165th anniversary. Yesterday we had important visitors to our school, including nuns from the Sisters of Mercy who taught in St. Edward's for many years and we celebrated with a special Mass led by Fr. Lorenzo. We were all reminded of how fortunate we are to be part of a school that has been built on values that teach us to love, respect and help each other. Children and staff also celebrated with class parties and fun activities. We look forward to more celebrations to commemorate this very important milestone in our wonderful school's history.

Thank you to Sister Anne Reddington for her beautiful painting commemorating the 165th year of St. Edward's Catholic Primary School. We will display it with pride!

Thank you to the Beainy Family who very generously gave our school a delicious celebration cake to mark this very happy occasion.

Secondary School Transfer

The deadline for secondary transfer applications is soon approaching - Monday 31st October 2016. Parents must please use the online portal to apply: www.eadmissions.org.uk

Supplementary Information Forms need to be submitted directly to Voluntary Aided schools where required by Friday 28th October 2016.

Owl Time Photographs

Last summer term we had an exciting visit from Owl Time who taught us interesting facts about owls and even performed a demonstration with these fascinating birds. Our children also had the chance of having their photo taken with an owl! We have now received the photos so if you wish to view and purchase your child's picture, please come to the reception office next week. The price is £8 per photo or £10 for 2 photos.

Espresso Logins

Teaching children how to code improves their problem solving skills and helps them become more fluent with technology. St. Edward's subscribes to to the Espresso Coding site which offers exciting and interesting activities and games focused on teaching children how to code. Every child is able to access this at home using the details below. Coding is the new language of the world! Happy coding!

Year 3 visit our local market - Church Street

On Tuesday, class 7 and 8 had the fantastic opportunity to be Market Detectives in Church Street Market. With our Guide Emily we explored the history beneath our feet, looking at historical plaques on the ground, as well as investigating different fruit and vegetables on sale in the different stalls. Some of us had the chance to talk to the people who work in the Market and discovered that some of them have really interesting lives, some of them had even met the queen!

Year 6 enjoy a day at the Museum of London Docklands

Last Friday all of Year 6 went to the London Museum Docklands. We took part in a number of activities which were very enjoyable, including a workshop where we examined artefacts from Victorian times and we took a walk through a street made to look like a Victorian alley. The best part was when we sat down in an old tavern and a lady dressed in Victorian clothes told us true stories about life in the Docklands in London. We learned a lot about Victorian times and are pleased that we don't live in those times! By Harrison

Open Morning for Nursery and Reception September 2017

We will be holding an open morning on Monday 14th November from 10:00am - 11:00am for parents who wish to apply for nursery and reception places for September 2017. This is an opportunity for prospective families to view the school and receive further information about the application process. If you have friends, family or neighbours with children who will be starting nursery or reception, please let them know that they are welcome to attend our open morning.

School Car Park

It has been brought to my attention that parents are parking in the school car park and causing obstruction to vehicles needing to gain access. I kindly ask parents not to do so as space in the school car park is very limited and the area in front of the double gates has to be kept clear at all times for deliveries and especially in the event of emergency vehicles needing to access the school. Thank you for your co-operation.

School Coats

An update on the free school coats: the order has been placed and Ace Clothing have assured us that they will process it as soon as possible. Some coats will be arriving next week and we will distribute the coats to the children in their classes.